T’is the season for holiday movies, and there are some that are cute and funny, and some that don’t quite make the grade, and some of them can climb a grade so steep, it’s a wonder that we can ever come down from the experience. So, as the Yuletide season comes before us, it is time for Musings to give The Polar Express a second look.

Set in the mid-20th century, a young boy (voice-actor Tom Hanks) of about maybe ten or eleven years is doubting the existence of St. Nickolas. There is much information out there to dissuade him. The headlines from the local papers, the reference books that say the arctic is frigid and devoid of life (which we know is untrue!). The boy, whose name we never really learn, is really doubting his beliefs this season. He hears things outside, in the house, and is hoping to be proven wrong. He gets up, sees the milk and cookies are still out, then goes back to bed, about to give up hope. His parents check on him, and to them, he is out like a light, and they think not even a speeding express train could wake him. Read more...(817 words, 99 images, estimated 3:16 mins reading time)